Chicago White Sox - The Disco Years (1970-1979)  
   
 

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        Yr P W L   Yr P W L   Yr P W L               1970  
        1970 6 56 106   1973 5 77 85   1977 3 90 72               Decade  
        1971 3 79 83   1974 4 80 80   1978 5 71 90               Click  
        1972 2 87 67   1975 5 75 86   1979 5 73 87               on Logo  
                  1976 6 64 97                            
                                                       
   
  Titles: None Top White Sox Players during the Seventies  
     
  BallPark: Comiskey Park Pitchers:  
    Wilbur Wood (43.5) -    87  
  Team Name: White Sox Stan Bahnsen (8.97) -    30  
    Jim Kaat (15.36) -    26  
  Owner: John Allyn (1970-1975) Ken Kravec (8.11) -    22  
  Bill Veeck (1976-1980) Terry Forster (12.07) -    20  
    Steve Stone (6.41) -    20  
  General Managers: Goose Gossage (9.97) -    16  
  Roland Hemond Tommy John (7.29) -    15  
    Francisco Barrios (8.63) -   16  
  Managers: Tom Bradley (11.62) -   16  
  Don Gutteridge (1970) Bart Johnson (8.82) -   15  
  Bill Adair (1970)    
  Chuck Tanner (1970-1975) Catchers:  
  Paul Richards (1976) Ed Herrman (6) -    28  
  Bob Lemon (1977-1978) Brian Downing  (8.33) -    20  
  Larry Doby (1978) Jim Essian (5) -   12  
  Don Kessinger (1979)    
  Tony LaRussa (1979) First Basemen:  
    Dick Allen (15.32) -    37  
  Hall of Famers: Lamar Johnson (4.85) -    20  
  Bill Veeck      
  Tony LaRussa  Second Basemen:  
  Luis Aparicio Jorge Orta (11.68) -    37  
  Jim Kaat Greg Pryor (4.55) -   8  
  Goose Gossage    
    ShortStop:  
  No Hitters: Bucky Dent (4.35) -    18  
  Blue Moon Odom / Francisco Barrios (1976) Luis Aparicio (4.83) -    7  
       
  Rookie of the Year: Third Base:  
  None Bill Melton (16.11) -    35  
    Eric Soderholm (9.03) -    19  
  MVP:     
  Dick Allen (1972) Outfield:  
    Chet Lemon (16.69) -    47  
  Cy Young:  Carlos May (9.63) -    38  
  None Pat Kelly (5.18) -    34  
    Ken Henderson (6.98) -    21  
  Notable Events: Ralph Garr (2.72) -    16  
  Claudell Washington (1.52) -    10  
  1970 - Wilbur Wood is the only star player on the team coming into the Walt Williams (0.97) -    10  
  decade and the Sox don't develop another one during the Seventies. Oscar Gamble (3.56) -    8  
    Richie Zisk (2.68) -    7  
  1972 - Dick Allen is obtained from the Dodgers. He revitalizes     
  interest in the franchise, winning the Home Run and RBI titles and Notable Events:  
  the MVP Award. Dick lasts two more years in Chicago before he    
  wears out his welcome. 1976 - Bill Veeck brings back throwback style uniforms. These  
  pajama looking uniforms were ugly as sin, not one of Veeck's   
  1975 - Chicago deals RHP Stan Bahnsen to Oakland for twenty year old  finer moments  
  outfielder Chet Lemon    
   1976 - Veeck tries introducing Bermuda shorts for players on   
  1976 - The White Sox were struggling at the gate. The American  hot days. Another bad idea - no one wants to slide while wearing shorts.  
  League wanted to keep a presence in the nation's second largest city.    
   But after Bud Selig had stolen the Brewers away from Seattle after that 1977- Veeck takes advantage of how free agency is working by  
   franchise had been there only one season, Major League baseball was   "renting a player". He obtained players in the walk year of their contracts   
   now facing a justifiable lawsuit by Seattle. Chicago was in the crosshairs cheap. In 1977, it was Richie Zisk and Oscar Gamble. It looked like  
   of a franchise move to Seattle that no one wanted to have happen. Veeck might be on to something here, but teams adjusted - holding onto  
  The city of Seattle was now wooing John Allyn and the White Sox in their walk year stars until mid season when they could ransom them off  
  what was becoming an absurd game of musical franchises with each to contenders looking for the big guy to take them over the top.  
  jilted city trying to steal a team from the next weakest incumbent city.  
   Chicago had been living on the edge financially for quite some time and 1977 - The Sox hit 192 homers behind Zisk and Gamble obliterating the   
  Selig had originally wanted to move the Sox to Milwaukee back in 1970, existing Chicago record of 138. Chicago wins ninety games the only time   
   but settled on pifering the Pilots from Seattle instead.  during the decade and finishes third in the Division. They had one other good  
  This nonsense that Selig initiated was now coming full circle. year in the Seventies, 1972, when they won eighty seven games and finished  
    second behind huge seasons from Wilbur Wood and Dick Allen  
   1976 - Crisis averted .The hero of the day turns out to be Bill    
  Veeck, who, with the backing of Chicago city officials and, almost July 12, 1979 is Disco Demolition night. A very, very bad idea. Fans bring in   
   impossibly, other American League owners, kept the White Sox disco records to be destroyed between games of a doubleheader. Things get  
  in Chicago by purchasing the club after the 1975 season. He also out of hand and the Sox forfeit game two of the doubleheader.  
  brought Hank Greenberg back into baseball, another good thing.     
  Very ironic to have Veeck, who major league owners had forced out     
  of baseball in 1954, come back and save a valued franchise for them.